Nov. 14，Class 5&6 joined hands against class 13, 14, 19&20, kept a narrow lead, and fought their way to the championship in the 2017 Fresher’s basketball League Match final on Tuesday night.

The final ended with the score of 71:67. Class 13, 14, 19&20 came second. This was a joint team of four classes, of English and Electrical & Electronic Engineering departments.

According to Rui, captain of class 5&6, having won five tough battles, the team finally came to the end.

Different from group and knockout stage, the final was divided into four sections with 12 minutes each, which added extra tension on the court.

Both teams were rather even. The score gap was kept within 5 points. No one dared to loose their nerves and slow down their pace, because any trivial mistake and distraction could lead to a reverse. Every second matters, especially for basketball players.

As the captain, Rui apparently bore more pressure on his shoulder. But he also expressed his confidence in winning this match. “Please remind me of the interview when the game is over. I am afraid I will be so excited that I totally forget,” said Rui. Nothing outweighed the match. He didn’t even give himself a break to take a brief interview at halftime before the restart.

Sent off in the third, Rui appeared tenser standing aside than being on the court. Twenty seconds before the final triumph, Rui was still sunk in the match and mistook it as the third section.

As promised, Rui accepted the interview after the match. This time, he stopped fidgeting and looked chilled. “This match bonds us together,” said Rui. According to him, all the boys in this team were from architecture department, who newly came to XJTLU and didn’t know each other before this game.

Before the final, the third place match took place between class 11&12 and class 33&34. This match went smoothly and class 11&12 claimed the third. Captain Liu said that their goal was the champion all the time, even if they were not favored in the very beginning. “Because our team is a combination of English and Electrical & Electronic Engineering.” But everyone had done their part, “each team member played over 40 minutes in each match,” said Liu.